Those who frequent such sporting events as football and baseball games, as well as other sports events, are aware of an activity or pastime that has been enjoying an increasing popularity. This activity usually procedes, or at least commences, before the sporting event and takes the form of a party or social gathering held in the parking lot near or adjacent the sporting field or arena. The activity usually involves groups of spectators who travel together to the sporting event, or meet in the parking lot, to enjoy refreshment and social intercourse prior to commencement of the sporting event. Foodstuffs and liquid refreshment are set out on horizontally displaced tailgates of pickups (hence the appelation "tailgate party") or other horizontal surface for the enjoyment of the group. Often there may even be a portable television set, and some of the group may even watch the sporting event on the television set, enjoying the available foodstuffs and liquid refreshment, rather than attending the event in person.
A tailgate is not a requirement for these presporting event activities. However, there is a need for some type of platform, shelf or other horizontal surface on which drink, foofstuffs and even a television set can be placed. Merely using the more horizontal portions of an automobile can result in the finish of the automobile being marred or scratched. Using the automobile's interior can lead to damage of the upholstery. Placing the articles directly on the ground can result in their being inadvertently knocked over, stepped on, or otherwise damage. Carrying portable tables or trays of the type presently available can be cumbersome and, particularly in the case of so-called T.V. trays, at times will provide a support surface that tends to be unstable.
Structures for use by automotive mechanics for holding tools, automotive parts, and the like, or to support the mechanic, are known. Such structures are usually constructed to be mounted proximate the engine compartment. One such structure is specifically intended to cooperatively engage the hood latching mechanism in order to be mounted and, therefore, cannot be used at any other location of the automobile other than the engine compartment. Since most automotive engines tend to be encrusted with grease and other filth, use of this type of structure for supporting foodstuffs has some obvious distasteful aspects associated therewith. Another such structure, also intended to be mounted proximate an automotive vehicle's engine compartment, utilizes a platform that is supported by four individually extendable legs, each leg being pivotally attached at one of their ends to the platform. Not only does the structure require a horizontal surface for each leg to rest upon, but in order to ensure that the platform is horizontal, the length of each leg and the angle at which is pivotally extends from the platform must be adjusted--at best a tedious task. Examples of such structure may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,015,530 and 3,698,330.
Thus, if one wishes to engage in such pre-sporting event activities, but does not own an automotive vehicle equipped with a tailgate or like device, one is left with some hard decisions.